The present embodiments relate generally to medical devices, and more particularly, to a surgical access port for inserting one or more instruments through an opening into a patient's bodily cavity.
Surgical incisions may be made in tissue to access an array of bodily cavities using various techniques. For example, it may desirable or necessary to access a patient's bodily cavity within the peritoneum using one or more incisions made in the abdomen.
In a conventional open procedure, a relatively large incision is made in the abdominal wall. A surgeon may visualize the target site directly, and may insert his or her hands, along with one or more instruments, directly into the abdominal cavity using this technique. The relatively large incision formed from the open procedure may result in increased trauma and healing time, as well as increased scarring of the patient.
As an alternative to an open procedure, an array of minimally invasive techniques have been used to access a patient's bodily cavity, such as the abdominal cavity. For example, in a laparoscopic procedure, the insertion of a laparoscope allows doctors to perform surgeries using a few relatively small incisions into the abdomen. One of the incisions may be for insufflation of the abdominal cavity with gas to elevate the abdominal wall relative to the internal organs to create additional room for viewing and manipulating instruments. Other incisions may be for viewing devices and/or other instruments for treating organs or tissue within the bodily cavity. A few of the advantages of laparoscopic surgery, relative to an open procedure, are reduced trauma and healing time, as well as reduced scarring of the patient.
Recently, newer surgical methods have been developed allow a single “port” to permit insertion of viewing devices and treatment instruments into the bodily cavity. In contrast to laparoscopic techniques that involve the formation of multiple incisions, this newer technique involves the creation of a single incision, and the port then manages the use or insertion of various components, e.g., for insufflation, visualization and treatment of tissue and/or organs. Such a single incision port technique is promising for the further reduction in trauma and scarring, but as a relatively new technique, there are areas of improvements to enhance simplicity and ease of use.